In Uttarakhand, 14 individuals have been arrested for poaching a Himalayan barking deer, a protected species, highlighting ongoing challenges in wildlife conservation and the enforcement of poaching laws.
Fourteen people were arrested here on Friday for alleged poaching of Himalayan barking deer, officials said.
They said the accused were arrested when they were preparing to cook the deer, which was hunted on Thursday.
Rudraprayag's Sub-Divisional Forest Officer Devendra Singh Pundir said 14 people from Kondli-Kwali village, adjacent to the Dudhatoli forest area, were arrested for hunting the Himalayan barking deer in the Khankhara range.
The arrests were made during a raid led by a Khankhara range officer based on a tip-off, Pundir said.
The Himalayan barking deer is a protected species and can be found at altitudes of 3,000 to 8,000 feet in Uttarakhand. Conservation efforts have led to sightings of the deer over the past few years.